St. Paul daily globe., 1887-07-18
STRANGE BUT TRUE.
a Strange Story That Reads Like
a Romance-A North Carolina
Murder Trial.

Romance-A North Carolina
Murder Trial.
Athens (Ga.) Banner.
1t will be remembered that about
year ago there was quite sensation i'll
this section of the state over the appear
ance of an old man from North Caro-
lima, named DR.. &. w. Ward, who came
i'll quest of grandson, whom he be-
lieved to have been murdered by GER
tain men who pursued him. 1t trans
pired to be most thrilling and inter
eSting story, for which we are indebted
to Col. ID. w. Meadow, of DanielSville.
Aaron Ingram was young man living
in Swain county. North Carolina. In a
difficulty he killed with barlow knife
a man named Sherman Welsh, of the
same county. Ingram made good his
escape, passing through TOccOa, Car
nesville, Danielsville, Washington and
other points in this section of Georgia.
The sheriff of Swain county was also
named Welsh, and is a cousin of the
man killed by Ingram. Together with
the others, he started in quest Of the
murderer, the posse tracking him like
his heels. They also passed
through the towns we haye named,
and were open in their declara-
ton that they would take Ingram,
dead or alive. After going as far as
Augusta, this squad returned, and on
reaching home publicly boasted that
they had put Ingram where the@ Ogs
would not bite him, and used other eX-
pressions that lied the public to believe
that they had not not only captured
their man but killed him and hid
his body. Their boasts came to the
ears of DR.. G. w. Ward, the grand
father of Ingram, and a nice old
gentleman. He believed Welsh's boast
and, in turn, started on their track. He,
too, took i'll these towns, and stopped at
each to make inquiries, but could learn
nothing until Augusta was reached, and
there he found in the swamps Ofthe Sa-
vannah river the body of a decapitated
flOSh, however. was dropping from the
bones, so that he could not identify the
remains, but returned home with the
firm belief that it was the body of his
grandson, who had been killed by his
pursuers and thus mutilated to conceal
the crime. He had no evidence to con-
vict, but before he left Georgia offered
reward for such testimony.
But as it afterwards tranSpired, this
was not young Migrants remains. Near
Athens, Ca, he succeeded in throwing
his purSuers off his trail, and went to
work at Rutledge, little town on the
Georgia road. From there he kept get
ting further and further off, finally To-
eating in the Indian Territory, where he
went to work as farm hand. He had
such a dread of detection that he would
not even communicate with his family
in North Carolina.
But as fate would have it, near where
Ingram was working there also lived a
man from Swain county who had also
left home for some crime. He recOg-
niZed Ingram as soon as he saw him.
and to ingratiate himself with gang of
cow boys, told them that Ingram had
murdered man in North Carolina and
fled from justice; that reward of S700
was offered for him, but he was des-
perate man and would resist arrest to
the death. He also informed the cow
boys that the reward would be paid for
Ingram's body, dead or alive.
Three cowboys, armed to the teeth,
rode into the field where Ingram was
plowing and, without warning, fired a
volley into him. His right arm was
shattered and his side wounded with
buckshOt. The desperately wounded
man WAS tlo1l SeIlt DdCk 10 N OrUH OdrO-
lima in irons, and for two months laid at
deaths door in Jail. He finally recov-
cred, however.
In the meantime his grandfath er, DR..
Ward, employed the best legal talent in
the state to defend him, engaging four
lawyers. The other side employed
similar number, one of them being an
ex-iudge from the bench. In passing
through DanielSyille DR.. Ward was
very much impressed with d. w.
Meadows, and after the: capture
of his grandson came to Georgia
and employed him at handsome fee
to defend Ingram. This Mr.. Meadows
did, staying twelve days in Swain
county. He did his best work for his
client, and when the case was heard
made a speech that electrified the court
house, and brought upon this brilliant
young lawyer the applause of
the county. 1t was desperate
case against Ingram, but Mr.
Meadows succeeded in getting a YER
dict of manslaughter, and sentence of
seven months in jail. Ingram was the
happiest man in North Carolina on COM
ing off so light. Mr.. Meadows made such
a fine impression that he was at once
engaged as leading counsel in another
big murder case, to be tried in Swain
county the next term of the court. 1t
was grand legal triumph for one of our
most brilliant and popular young law